> What if there had been nude pics of Obama on the internet, would they have hurt his chances for becoming president?
Probably less then 20 years ago, and even less in 10 years. But yes, this is one possible consequence. Actions do have consequences, and it's parent's job to make sure they're not too grave.
But still, having some difficulty being elected into office isn't really a problem for 99% of all people. I was afraid someone would point out something serious I had overlooked, but if this is the worst of it, it means having your naked picture on the net isn't so big anymore.
I totally expect perceptions and expectations to shift in the future. Employers will have to realize that they hire human beings, not worker drones. In fact, maybe it will become creepy to not have any displays of being a human online.
In a recent Australian election, one of the candidates had an old boyfriend sell a set of semi-nude pictures taken in the 1970's into a paper. The paper, of course, ran them as a front-page news and everyone was left questioning the moral issue. Basically : so what?
End of the story was: she didn't get elected, but then she was unlikely to be elected anyway. And eventually she produced evidence that the photos were fake (by releasing a photo taken around the same date which showed her with a different haircut), and the papers had to retract the story and officially apologise, which they of course did after the election.
What I am saying here is that you don't need digital cameras and the internet to get nude photos circulated, and that I think it will become the norm for just about everyone to have embarassing photos lurking under the closet, and will become a non-issue for employment, politics and more. As long as it is plain-vanilla pics in your underwear, I doubt it would cause any long term effects.
What if there had been nude pics of Obama on the internet, would they have hurt his chances for becoming president?
I think it depends on the job - not all women become secretaries.